More exoskeletons

The World Cup exoskeleton story was not the only one in the news this June. The Federal Drug Administration just approved an exoskeleton for home use by people with lower body paralysis. It is hoped that this device will “have an immediate, life-changing impact on individuals with spinal cord injuries”. Similarly, a new start-up company, Noonee, is hoping that its Chairless Chair will benefit those who must spend long periods of time bending and crouching at work. The Noonee chair is essentially an exoskeleton for the legs that can be fixed by the push of a button to support workers when they are required to spend long periods of time in one position. Prototype testing is currently under way.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to argue against the fact that robots are becoming more intelligent and independent, and to wonder what the future of AI will bring. In a wide-ranging interview with CNBC, Elon Musk explained that earlier this year he invested in AI company Vicarious in order to “keep an eye on what’s going on in artificial intelligence”. When asked what AI could be used for, Musk replied “I don’t know, but there are some scary outcomes and we should try to make sure that the outcomes are good.”

An ethical dilemma

Given all the news about social robotics and AI in recent weeks, it would seem there is an urgent need for regulation and a code of ethics to govern human-robot interaction. Here at Robohub we thought it a nice co-incidence that this theme was featured in the Robots Podcast this month.

DRC update

Gill Pratt’s DARPA issued new information about the DRC finals, due to take place in a year’s time. Stating that DARPA was impressed with the results at the DRC trials, Pratt said they have made the challenges more difficult than initially planned. The big news, however, was that SHAFT announced that they would withdraw from the competition despite having won the trials. New teams sponsored by Japan, Korea and the EU will be joining the fray, and the competition will be still open to new teams until February 2015. We are looking forward to the finals next June!